The Wilshire Grand Center in Downtown Los Angeles - Tallest building west of the Mississippi River. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.
The new $1 billion Wilshire Grand Center, opened in Los Angeles in 2017, moved ahead of the U.S. Bank Tower to become the tallest structure in Los Angeles and, for that matter, the tallest west of the Mississippi River and ninth tallest in the nation. The building stands at 1,099 feet with 73 floors (the U.S. Bank Tower, also with 73 floors, stands at 1,018 feet). It is the building's mast that raises its height above that of the U.S. Bank Tower. The building project was first conceived as two towers, but that idea was dropped in 2012. Among other tenants, the Wilshire Grand Center houses the 900-room InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel. The building is owned by Korean Air. The building was designed by the architectural firm AC Martin, which designed Los Angeles City Hall in 1928. It is built upon the site of the former Wilshire Grand Hotel (first opened as the Hotel Statler in 1952). The original structure was deconstructed in 2012 to clear the site for the new project. Many of the steel and concrete materials from the original structure were recycled into the new building. The building is designed to withstand an earthquake up to about a magnitude 7.4 and even if, in a worst-case scenario, high-speed Santa Ana winds were slamming into the building at exactly the same time. Construction of the building included, in 2014, the world’s record for the largest continuous concrete pour. A total of 21,200 cubic yards of cement was poured into the foundation over 18 hours, delivered by 208 individual trucks. The concrete foundation, 17.5-feet thick and 80 feet below street level, ended up with 82 million pounds of concrete.
Also see Tallest Buildings by Los Angeles County City/Community
Building | City/Community | Height (feet) | Floors | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wilshire Grand Center 1 | Los Angeles - Central City | 1,099 | 73 | 2017 |
U.S. Bank Tower | Los Angeles - Central City | 1,018 | 73 | 1989 |
Aon Center | Los Angeles - Central City | 858 | 62 | 1973 |
Two California Plaza | Los Angeles - Central City | 750 | 52 | 1992 |
Gas Company Tower | Los Angeles - Central City | 749 | 52 | 1991 |
Bank of America Plaza | Los Angeles - Central City | 735 | 55 | 1974 |
777 Tower | Los Angeles - Central City | 725 | 52 | 1991 |
Wells Fargo Tower | Los Angeles - Central City | 723 | 54 | 1983 |
Figueroa at Wilshire | Los Angeles - Central City | 717 | 53 | 1990 |
City National Tower | Los Angeles - Central City | 699 | 52 | 1972 |
Paul Hastings Tower | Los Angeles - Central City | 699 | 52 | 1972 |
Fig Central I 2 | Los Angeles - Central City | 677 | 49 | 2018 |
L.A. Live Hotel & Condominiums | Los Angeles - Central City | 667 | 54 | 2010 |
Metropolis Residential Tower III 2 | Los Angeles - Central City | 647 | 54 | 2020 |
Building | City/Community | Height (feet) | Floors | Year |
820 Olive Street 1 | Los Angeles - Central City | 636 | 51 | 2018 |
Citigroup Center | Los Angeles - Central City | 625 | 48 | 1979 |
611 West 6th Street | Los Angeles - Central City | 620 | 42 | 1967 |
10000 Santa Monica Boulevard | Los Angeles - West Los Angeles, Century City, Rancho Park | 596* | 45 | 2010 |
One California Plaza | Los Angeles - Central City | 578 | 42 | 1985 |
Century Plaza Tower II | Los Angeles - West Los Angeles, Century City, Rancho Park | 571 | 44 | 1975 |
Century Plaza Tower I | Los Angeles - West Los Angeles, Century City, Rancho Park | 571 | 44 | 1975 |
KPMG Tower | Los Angeles - Central City | 560 | 45 | 1983 |
Ernst & Young Plaza | Los Angeles - Central City | 534 | 42 | 1985 |
Fig Central III 2 | Los Angeles - Central City | 530 | 40 | 2018 |
Fig Central II 2 | Los Angeles - Central City | 530 | 40 | 2018 |
865 South Figueroa | Los Angeles - Central City | 517 | 39 | 1990 |
Century City Mall Residential Tower 2 | Los Angeles - West Los Angeles, Century City, Rancho Park | 517* | 39 | 2018 |
Union Bank Plaza | Los Angeles - Central City | 516 | 40 | 1968 |
* Approximate height
1) Under construction
2) Planned construction (approved)
Also see Tallest Buildings by Los Angeles County City/Community
Building | City | Height (feet) | Floors | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Tower | Burbank | 460 | 32 | 1988 |
One World Trade Center | Long Beach | 397 | 30 | 1989 |
Sierra Towers | West Hollywood | 395 | 32 | 1965 |
222 North Sepulveda Boulevard | El Segundo | 360 | 24 | 1984 |
West Ocean Condominiums I | Long Beach | 345 | 29 | 2007 |
Glendale Plaza | Glendale | 333 | 25 | 1999 |
Landmark Square | Long Beach | 312 | 24 | 1991 |
100 North Sepulveda Boulevard | El Segundo | 300 | 20 | 1981 |
200 North Sepulveda Boulevard | El Segundo | 300 | 20 | 1982 |
100 Wilshire | Santa Monica | 300 | 21 | 1971 |
Source: Emporis & special thanks to Marshall Gerometta's World's Tallest Buildings